SINGAPORE – Media
OutReach – 19 February
2020 – Stamford American
International School has spearheaded an innovative Rare Tree Forest initiative,
in collaboration with Elango Velautham, Deputy Director at the Singapore
Botanic Gardens.
The Rare Tree Forest is an initiative that has taken
“root” in the Grade 9 Science Curriculum and
the Field Studies Program and has grown to become a whole school project in
creating ecological sustainability at Stamford.
Michael Drake (Cognita Asia CEO), Dr. Eric Sands
(Superintendent of Stamford American International School), and Stamford Division Principals gathered last Friday
at the Woodleigh
campus to inaugurate the new Rare Tree Forest
site by planting endangered species of trees indigenous
to the region and Singapore.
Michael Drake (Cognita Asia CEO) said: “I was delighted
to be involved in this exciting project.
For our students to be able to connect with nature in an authentic way, as part
of their learning, is wonderful. I
very much hope that this is the start of Stamford becoming an even greener campus over the coming years. This will
enhance our approach by having more and more outdoor
learning opportunities for our students which I very much believe enhances
their learning experience.”
“As
an IB
school, we are developing creative and critical
thinkers who can use their problem-solving skills to take on new information and
make decisions for a positive impact in
our world. In this way we will bring our environment and education together
within our community to reach common
goals such as; awareness, sustainability, and action leading to lasting change globally,” said Rhonda
Wiens, Stamford MYP Coordinator.
We are excited to be working alongside Elango Velautham,
Deputy Director at the Singapore Botanic Gardens in this initiative and look
forward to many cross-divisional activities which will evolve from this event.
The next phase is to develop our Rare Tree Forest Nursery
and enhance our green spaces at Stamford. These spaces will be used to carry out experiments,
research, and hopefully submit articles to science journals on our findings
from our different research projects. Some of the research projects include:
soil mixing, seed collecting, measurements and data on seed growth and
development, and the effect of fertilizer on plant growth. Another initiative
would be to cultivate and grow a Food
Forest, where we can begin to grow our own fruit, vegetables and herbs, and
potentially be able to give this food back to society. These experiences will
help us develop further initiatives
that help us develop our ecological literacy.
At Stamford, we believe students benefit in understanding
sustainability by devising plans and
participating in opportunities through school projects like the Rare Tree
Forest. With a focus on
sustainability in schools, Stamford aims to bring environmental education and
the community together with a common
goal.
